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| T.U.B. Butler |
THE legendary labour leader T.U.B. “Buzz” Butler died on February 20, 1977 after a prolonged illness, without achieving his dream of a united labour movement.
Thirty- eight years later labour is more divided that ever primarily because some leaders are driven by partisan politics rather than a genuine concern for the welfare of workers.
I interviewed Butler days before he died.
In an emotional narrative he discussed the near slavery conditions that shaped his uphill struggle for workers, his frustrations and the hope for a better deal for workers.
Butler spoke passionately about the exploitation of workers by the Williams PNM and saw hope in Basdeo Panday, whose political upbringing was based on fighting for the poor and dispossessed and for workers who were victims of an uncaring PNM administration.
Butler’s final thought was for a united movement without which labour would remain vulnerable.
“They must unite…they must, “ he said, “There is no other way.” But they haven’t united and they won’t, because the lust for political control is greater representing workers.
This year’s shameful Labour Day behaviour demonstrated that some people who pretend to walk in Butler’s shoes are just political prostitutes who disgrace Butler’s memory by using workers as pawns in their politics.
Thirty- eight years later labour is more divided that ever primarily because some leaders are driven by partisan politics rather than a genuine concern for the welfare of workers.
I interviewed Butler days before he died.
In an emotional narrative he discussed the near slavery conditions that shaped his uphill struggle for workers, his frustrations and the hope for a better deal for workers.
Butler spoke passionately about the exploitation of workers by the Williams PNM and saw hope in Basdeo Panday, whose political upbringing was based on fighting for the poor and dispossessed and for workers who were victims of an uncaring PNM administration.
Butler’s final thought was for a united movement without which labour would remain vulnerable.
“They must unite…they must, “ he said, “There is no other way.” But they haven’t united and they won’t, because the lust for political control is greater representing workers.
This year’s shameful Labour Day behaviour demonstrated that some people who pretend to walk in Butler’s shoes are just political prostitutes who disgrace Butler’s memory by using workers as pawns in their politics.
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| Labour Day confrontation - June 19, 2015. Express Photo |
Although Butler was also a politician, his politics was based on a clear agenda that was premised upon embracing all workers in a common purpose.
He sincerely believed that those who laboured must unite and hold power but he did not push aside those who did not share his political views. Butler’s political life was guided by the same passion that marked his trade union activities.
What happened at Charlie King Junction one week ago was a scar that has disfigured the labour movement at a time when there is a government in office that has offered a helping hand.
The tragedy was that the very people who were supposed to protect the workers and seek their interest were fighting them. And it was even more tragic because one man – Ancel Roget – has set himself up as the conscience of labour when his only concern for years has been to use workers to try to cause the fall of the most labour friendly administration the country has ever seen.
The anger and hostility displayed last Friday dominated the headlines, but the media failed to expose the reality that the fracas had nothing to do with a people’s struggle for better working conditions. It was an anti-government exercise in bullying and hooliganism directed against everyone perceived to be supportive of the PP administration.
So while Watson Duke and Michael Anisette and their followers were “man handled” for going to Fyzabad, Roget welcomed and embraced the PNM.
On June 19, 1937 when Charlie King arrived to arrest Butler for standing up for the rights of workers, a mob turned on him. They killed and burned a policeman who was only trying to do his job. While they were united, their action deeply hurt their cause and the man who led their struggle.
That, unfortunately, is what happens when men descend to the level of beasts.
Unlike the mob of 1937 the group that occupied that space on Friday was driven by self-interest, hate and animosity.
For years Roget has made politics his primary concern, ignoring the welfare of workers and the stability of the country.
He preached one mantra: “No progress, no development, no industrial peace...strikes, more strikes and more strikes. When the time is right the country will come to a screeching halt.”
Which progressive leader would set out to destabilise a country deliberately just to satisfy his political ambitions?
It didn’t matter to Roget that he was turning decent hardworking citizens into hooligans to execute his nefarious plot.
He sincerely believed that those who laboured must unite and hold power but he did not push aside those who did not share his political views. Butler’s political life was guided by the same passion that marked his trade union activities.
What happened at Charlie King Junction one week ago was a scar that has disfigured the labour movement at a time when there is a government in office that has offered a helping hand.
The tragedy was that the very people who were supposed to protect the workers and seek their interest were fighting them. And it was even more tragic because one man – Ancel Roget – has set himself up as the conscience of labour when his only concern for years has been to use workers to try to cause the fall of the most labour friendly administration the country has ever seen.
The anger and hostility displayed last Friday dominated the headlines, but the media failed to expose the reality that the fracas had nothing to do with a people’s struggle for better working conditions. It was an anti-government exercise in bullying and hooliganism directed against everyone perceived to be supportive of the PP administration.
So while Watson Duke and Michael Anisette and their followers were “man handled” for going to Fyzabad, Roget welcomed and embraced the PNM.
On June 19, 1937 when Charlie King arrived to arrest Butler for standing up for the rights of workers, a mob turned on him. They killed and burned a policeman who was only trying to do his job. While they were united, their action deeply hurt their cause and the man who led their struggle.
That, unfortunately, is what happens when men descend to the level of beasts.
Unlike the mob of 1937 the group that occupied that space on Friday was driven by self-interest, hate and animosity.
For years Roget has made politics his primary concern, ignoring the welfare of workers and the stability of the country.
He preached one mantra: “No progress, no development, no industrial peace...strikes, more strikes and more strikes. When the time is right the country will come to a screeching halt.”
Which progressive leader would set out to destabilise a country deliberately just to satisfy his political ambitions?
It didn’t matter to Roget that he was turning decent hardworking citizens into hooligans to execute his nefarious plot.
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| Ancel Roget. Guardian photo |
The ugly display that made headlines last Friday was just political grandstanding for Roget and his anti-government friends; the workers were mere tools in his grand scheme to fulfill his political ambitions. But he might be forgetting one critically important point.
Workers hold tremendous power and they will exercise that power.They have seen the promise of a better deal from a government that has a vision of prosperity for all.
There is no room for the kind of deceit, treachery and divisiveness that Roget preaches. Last Friday’s confrontation was a clash of ideologies, not a show of worker solidarity.
It revealed more than ever the need for the unity that Butler saw as a necessity.
A united labour movement is still possible, but it would only happen when those who lead trade unions focus on representing workers instead of serving political masters, whose ambitions take precedence over the rights of workers.
Butler the trade unionist and politician understood that but Roget and his sidekicks lack that level of intellectual maturity to appreciate the value of the working class in a progressive society.
Workers hold tremendous power and they will exercise that power.They have seen the promise of a better deal from a government that has a vision of prosperity for all.
There is no room for the kind of deceit, treachery and divisiveness that Roget preaches. Last Friday’s confrontation was a clash of ideologies, not a show of worker solidarity.
It revealed more than ever the need for the unity that Butler saw as a necessity.
A united labour movement is still possible, but it would only happen when those who lead trade unions focus on representing workers instead of serving political masters, whose ambitions take precedence over the rights of workers.
Butler the trade unionist and politician understood that but Roget and his sidekicks lack that level of intellectual maturity to appreciate the value of the working class in a progressive society.
-Jai Parasram | June 26, 2015
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